1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to an irrigation assembly and system for irrigation of a user's nasal cavity using a refillable irrigation solution.
2. Description of the Related Art
Poor nasal hygiene is a common problem existing and prevalent in individuals of all ages and can lead to nasal and sinus disease. Such disease, including congestion, infection, and other pathologic conditions of the nasal passages and paranasal sinuses, is typically caused by viruses, bacteria and other microbes and/or exposure to environmental allergens. Sinonasal disease is one of the most common medical conditions in the United States, afflicting approximately 33 million people and accounting for over $5.8 billion in healthcare costs annually (“Nasal Congestion: More than physical obstruction,” Science Daily, Oct. 17, 2011). Nasal congestion and the associated feeling of obstruction is the symptom that typically causes individuals to seek medical assistance. Common signs and symptoms arising from poor nasal hygiene include nasal inflammation, rhinorrhea, sinusitis, irritation, pain and nasal passage blockage. Medications used to treat nasal pathology inherently include potential side effects and possibly excessive costs.
A number of studies demonstrate that regular use of nasal irrigation is an effective therapy in the relief of symptoms associated with poor nasal hygiene (e.g. Rabago et.al, Journal of Family Practice. 2002; 51(12):1049-1055; Tomooka et.al, Laryngoscope. 2000 July; 110(7):1189-93.) Other similarly related clinical studies indicate that nasal wash with isotonic saline can improve certain infection outcomes (Slapak et.al, Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. 2008; January; 134(1):67-74) and that regular nasal irrigation is a beneficial therapy for the treatment of allergy related symptoms (e.g. Garavello et.al, Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2003 April; 14(2):140-3.) Accordingly, these studies indicate that nasal irrigation is a clinically proven method of improving sinus related disease, including allergies and infections. Current standard of care for nasal irrigation involves exposing the nasal cavity and passages to a streaming volume of saline or other prophylactic or therapeutic solutions. In addition to cleansing the nasal cavities of pathogens and allergens, such irrigation related treatment is also believed to include a number of physiological effects. These include stimulation of mucosal cilia and increasing physiologic flow of mucous, which individually or in concert may reduce the risk of nasopharyngeal and sinus localization of pathogens and allergens, thereby reducing potential morbidity and mortality. Further, irrigation therapy that includes rinsing of the interior of the nasal cavity, typically washes away waste, microbial by-products, and/or encrustations, which may be a causal factor in a number of undesirable conditions and symptoms. Conventional irrigation techniques are intended to keep sinus cavities, nasal passages, and the drainage from sinuses to nasal passage in a healthy state. Improving nasal hygiene with irrigation thus reduces the likelihood that the nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses, and related structures will become colonized with pathogens, thereby reducing the potential for morbidity and mortality.
As conventionally practiced, nasal irrigation is known to apply and utilize various types of manually or automatically operated irrigation and/or nasal aspirators. As such, irrigating fluid is applied in a manner or in such volume sufficient to flood the nasal cavity in an attempt to remove the aforementioned pathogens, allergens, encrustations, or waste after the application of the irrigating fluid has been completed. However, disadvantages at least partially associated with the flooding of the nasal cavity, occur when the irrigating and aspirating steps are conducted separately or successively, which can lead to suboptimal cleansing and disinfection. As typically operated, existing manual devices serve to sequentially, rather than simultaneously, deliver an irrigation agent to the nasal cavity followed by a subsequent and frequently delayed aspiration of the agent and accumulated waste.
Additionally, irrigation devices that flood the nasal cavity and sinuses can create a cumbersome, uncomfortable, and aesthetically unappealing experience for the user. For example, the flooding irrigant may create a drowning sensation for the user and waste fluid may travel around the nasal septum and drain out the same or opposite nostril, thereby spilling waste fluid onto a user's face and/or clothes. In flooding of the nasal passage a user may also experience the unpleasant taste of irrigant in the back of their throat. These devices are therefore unacceptable to many users and observers.
On the other end of the spectrum, irrigation/suction devices that do not flood the nasal cavity often infuse minimal fluids, typically in a mist that is insufficient to remove encrustations and other contaminants.
Other manual irrigation devices frequently involve the use of a conventionally structured bulb-type syringe. The ineffectiveness of such devices are well known and recognized as being generally associated with inadequate negative pressure and resulting inadequate removal of the waste fluid and waste materials contained within the nasal cavity or passages. Also, manual irrigation and suction devices may include dimensional and/or configurational characteristics which could possibly result in damage to the interior of the nasal cavity.
Irrigation devices that do not solely moisten the mucosa and provide sufficient flow to dislodge encrustations and contaminants (e.g. the neti pot and many commercially available nasal irrigation devices), require fluid to be added to the device from an external source, often tap water or bottled water. Such water may be contaminated with pathogenic microbes or other agents that can be infused into the nasal cavity and sinuses and cause infections, even death (“Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis Deaths Associated With Sinus Irrigation Using Contaminated Tap Water”, Yoder, et. al, Journal of Clinical Infectious Diseases, Aug. 22, 2012, Epub ahead of print). In addition, prior to irrigation, such fluid often needs to be manually mixed with a salt powder or other solute which can be time consuming and inconvenient.
For devices that interface with sealed fluid containers (U.S. Pat. No. 7,981,077) that are manually opened and fastened to the device, the manual attachment of the container can also cause inadvertent contamination. Also, because of suboptimal use of space within device housings, devices that collect waste fluid either capture only a small volume of such fluid or capture a larger volume of waste fluid, but do so at the expense of having to be unnecessarily bulky and require the presence of an additional collection reservoir.
Therefore, there is a need for an effective, convenient, efficient, and aesthetically pleasing irrigation assembly preferably in the form of a reusable and refillable irrigation assembly or handheld irrigator that may be refilled with sterile or non-contaminated fluid. Moreover, such an irrigation assembly should be operative to accomplish delivery of an irrigating fluid, possibly including a cleaning, disinfecting, or other agent, to the nasal cavity and passages and the concurrent aspiration of the waste fluid and waste material there from. Concurrent irrigation and aspiration would then overcome many of the problems of existing devices and serve to effectively provide both a sufficient pressure applied to the irrigating fluid and a significant negative pressure applied to the waste fluid to better accomplish an improved irrigation therapy. A preferred embodiment of the present invention may comprise a system further including a docking station and solution assembly to facilitate the recharging and/or refilling of the irrigation assembly.